In Money Race, Dent Way Ahead of Potential Rivals

LV Congressman Charlie Dent once told me there are only two ways to run for office - hard, or unopposed. So it's no surprise that he's wasted no time gearing up for his next contender. He's raised $158,290 this quarter, and $277,872.43 over the entire cycle. He was sitting on $139,648.99 at the end of June. Pennsylvania Avenue provides an overview, and the nitty gritty details from the FEC are here.

In sharp contrast to Dent, Johnny "Casino" Callahan must be spending too much time at the Sands. He's raised no money this quarter, and has only picked up $525 the entire election cycle. His campaign treasury is down to a mere $13,973.58. You can see his FEC report here.

As bad as that is, it's still a little better than Jake "the Manchurian candidate" Towne. He's down to $1, but that's probably because he wants to return to the gold standard.

So Who Won Debate at the State -Towne, Callahan or Dent?

Stuck at a gaming meeting in Northampton County, I missed last night's Debate at the State among incumbent Congressman Charlie Dent. Despite a bad cold that is burning a hole in my chest like a hot iron, I really wanted to go. After my meeting ended, I did drive down to a magnificently lit State Theatre, but it was too late for me. So instead of telling you what happened and who won, why don't you tell me? What jumped out at you? Any funny moments? Is it true Joe Owens sang a Dirge for the Phillies?

Callahan's Negatives Jump From 13 to 29%

... according to The Morning Call's latest poll, which now shows LV Congressman Charlie Dent has a 49-39 lead. Independent Jake Towne is polling at just 3%.

Now I'm no polling expert, but pollster Chris Borick asks this question of Callahan, "Where is he going to make up that ground?"

Updated 9:51 PM: CQPolitics concludes, "Dent in a strong position in a district President Barack Obama won by 16 points in 2008."

Debate à Trois: Dent Answers, Callahan Evades, Towne Unrealistic

When I attended Friday night's LV Tea Party meeting in Palmer Township, what surprised me most were the 300+ other morons who skipped a night of high school football and bar-hopping to listen to - ugh - politics. Well last night, a similarly large crowd was on hand for the three-for-all among LV Congressional candidates at Lafayette's Oechsle Hall. Although an "overflow room" accommodated many of the people who simply were unable to squeeze into the auditorium, the video failed for all but the last 15 minutes of the debate. Amazingly, many of them stayed anyway for this exchange, sponsored by the LV League of Women Voters and the College Hill Neighborhood Association.

Thankfully, instead of subjecting hopefuls to irrelevant queries posed by some officious know-it-all, the LWV actually posed questions prepared by the vox populi. If the tenor of those questions is any indication of how other voters feel, Callahan is in trouble. Questions focused on items like the budget, tax cut extensions, bail outs and national debt. Callahan was asked whether he'd vote for Pelosi as Speaker. Candidates were even asked to explain "why Americans are so disaffected?" Obama was never mentioned. Only one question was posed about the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, our forgotten war. Those were mostly Republican questions.

All three candidates seemed comfortable in this small room, and much of the tone was conversational instead of rhetorical. In fact, Congressman Dent was asked to speak up. He was clearly the best informed of the three, which is no surprise because he's the incumbent. He spoke off the cuff, rattling statistics with ease while Callahan looked at prepared notes and tried to answer every question with his five-point jobs plan. Dent embraced his controversial votes, while Callahan never addressed his own deficit problems in Bethlehem. One leads from the front. The other takes up the rear.

Despite looking like a mortician in search of a cadaver, independent Jake Towne was very well-informed ... I think. He sounded good, but his solutions are completely unworkable. For example, when asked about extending Bush tax cuts, Towne answered he'd just abolish the income tax. That's nice, but he's running for Congressman, not King.

Now I'm a Charlie Dent supporter, but I'll let you in on asecret. I expected him to lose tonight. Callahan is a smooth talkin; man. Dent, for all his brilliance, tends to talk too fast and goes into so much detail that he can and has lost people. But tonight, he was relaxed, spoke more slowly, and only sounded like a wonk once. He tagged Callahan when the Bethlehem Mayor ducked a question about Speaker Pelosi, and ripped into him pretty effectively over Bethlehem's $8.5 million budget deficit last year. Callahan, who kept falling back on his five-point jobs plan, really blew it at the end of the night, confusing different items on what he called a "real simple plan." I have a separate video of that above this post.

That might come back to haunt him.

Dent & Callahan Agree the Race is About Jobs
Dent: "The issue in this election is going to be jobs. Absolutely, jobs. The question is, who has the right approach to creating jobs. Do we want the policies that we've seen coming out of Washington, policies that he [referring to Callahan] supports? Stimulus, health care, that are taking us in the opposite direction? A stimulus plan that borrowed too much, spent too much, created too few jobs, promised an 8% unemployment rate that is now 10%? Health care laws that provide incentives for people to cut payroll ... ? Fundamentally, this is going to be about - do we want the private sector to drive this recovery or do we think that more federal spending, more government, will drive this recovery? And that is really the fundamental difference between myself and my principal opponent. ... "

Will Callahan Vote for Pelosi as Speaker?

Instead of answering, he plays dodgeball.

"I don't know who's going to be running for Speaker of the House when I'm elected to Congress."

Dent tags Callahan for ducking yet another question.



Dent: "That's the most important vote that's gonna' be put up in the new Congress. Who's going to be the next Speaker? That is the most important vote. And he wouldn't tell you how he's going to vote. I will tell you I will vote for John Boehner. ... That's a very critical vote. I think we've had enough of the Pelosi-led Congress. $4.4 trillion in base-line spending. That is simply outrageous. You vote for Nancy Pelosi, I guess that means you vote for card check, taking away the rights of workers. I guess it means you vote for Stimulus. It means health care. She's contributed money to your campaign. I mean, please, this is a very big deal. This is the biggest vote and my opponent has been refusing to take positions on some of the biggest issues of the day. I thought that was a softball question. There should be an answer. Yes or no, not this obfuscation. I think that's outrageous."

Callahan Hammers Dent Over Bailout Vote, Insisting Dent is a Tool of Wall Street

Callahan: "What you gotta' realize here is the bailout was bad enough, an $850 billion, no-strings attached, bailout. When it was $700 billion, I'm going to read a quote from Congressman Dent when it was $700 billion. He said, 'This bailout plan would have exposed taxpayers to a risk of $700 billion to buy toxic assets at inflated prices. Wall Street would benefit at the expense of the taxpayer, and that's not acceptable.' So if he felt that way about a $700 billion bailout, what made him vote for the $850 billion bailout? I don't know the answer to that. But what I do know is that Congressman Dent was part of the Congress that deregulated Wall Street, that led to the need for an $850 billion bailout, and then, every opportunity Congressman Dent has had to put any curbs, any kind of safeguards, and kind of transparency on how those TARP funds were spent, to curb CEO bonuses, millions of dollars of your taxpaying dollars, going to failed CEO bonuses, he said No to that. But he's also accepted over $300 thousand from Wall Street and banking interests. So perhaps that may have something to do with the $850 billion, no-strings attached, bailout."

Dent explains his vote in support of a bailout, a vote that incidentally was also cast by then Senator Barack Obama.

Dent: "You have to look at it this way. In September and October of 2008, our economy was on the brink. Many major financial institutions were on the brink. It was creating such a problem that people were calling me, running to their local community bank, pulling money out, because they were afraid of what they were reading about the major institutions. We had to stop the panic. The credit markets were contracting. It was creating very real issues for the economy and for real people, very real people. My opponent here - his campaign said he was for the troubled asset recovery program - this was 18 months after the law was enacted. Then he said he was for one version, then he was completely against it.

"Now, you have to make decisions, and I have to make them before the votes.

"The bottom line is the financial services infrastructure of this country was at risk. We could not allow runs on banks. We could not allow for that type of collapse.

"Look at it this way. If the electric infrastructure of this country were to fail, you would expect the utilities to restore power but you would also expect the federal government to step in because if we lose power, we're all out of business. Good operators. Bad operators.

"If people can't get money out of the bank with their ATM card, we're in big trouble.

"Bottom line is, that was a loan. That money is being repaid ... . Every last cent of that TARP should be used to pay down the deficit. My opponent has supported a second stimulus, or son of stimulus bill, that would take repaid ... monies and use it for stimulus. That is an enormous mistake. That money should be used as promised for deficit reduction."

Callahan can only smile while Dent talks about Bethlehem's budget woes.

Dent: "I'm glad we're being instructed by Mayor Callahan on deficits given the sad state of fiscal affairs in Bethlehem right now with an $8.5 million deficit that their auditors - their independent auditors - have revealed for all of us to see. It's so bad that one Democratic City Councilman has said this is a financial disaster. Don Cunningham has said the City is operating in the red and with 0 cash reserves. So I don't think we need to be instructed by the Mayor on how to fix the deficit given his mismanagement of the City's finances.

Towne was there, too.

It's hard for me to give Jake Towne much emphasis. He knows he'll be losing this race. His solutions are unrealistic. But it's hard to disagree with his closing remarks.

Towne: "Your parties have betrayed you. Your parties have lied to you. Your parties have let you all down."

Let's all jump off a bridge.

Dent claims Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan has been one of his supporters.


Dent: "One of the nicest compliments I received about my services is from John Callahan. He said, in 2005, 'Anyone who doesn't think a freshman Congressman can deliver for his district, has never meant Charlie Dent.' Thank you, John, I appreciate that."

Callahan: (as people laugh) "That was a long time ago." (More laughter).

Easton Mayor Sal Panto and Northampton County Exec John Stoffa were in the audience. Lehigh County Exec Don Cunningham was sweeping out the government center while Allentown Mayor Ed Pawloski was relaxing in his mancave with a nonalcoholic beverage.

Updated 11:00 AM - Coverage around the blogosphere. - There's Noel Jones, Chris Casey and Jon Geeting. I'm unsure whether Geeting was even at last night's debate. But he nevertheless calls Dent, who has agreed to five separate debates with Callahan, a "coward" because last night's affair only lasted an hour. That reminds me of the fight between King Arthur and the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The Black Knight insists on figthing after both his arms are cut off. "Look, you stupid Bastard. You've got no arms left." That's pretty much what happened last night, while Geeting insists, "It's just a flesh wound."

Washington Post: Dems See Silver Lining in Dent-Callahan Race

Sure, John Callahan is a better candidate than Sam Bennett, Driscoll or Dertinger. According to the Washington Post, Callahan is one of their top seven candidates. If that's so, they're in trouble.

Congressional Three-For-All at Lafayette Monday Night

On Monday night, the LV's three Congressional candidates - Charlie Dent, John Callahan and Jake Towne - will mix it up in their first "debate" this campaign season. They'll be at Oechsle Hall, Room 224 on the campus of Lafayette College. Doors open 6:45 PM. (Directions are here).

I use quotation marks because the LV League of Women Voters is one of the two sponsors. They do deserve some credit for organizing this exercise in democracy, but I've attended enough of their forums to realize we'll be lucky if they ask even one relevant question. I've already attended a debate where one of these self-important moderators was wearing not one, but two, name tags. She even had a black whistle around her neck. When she spoke, I thought she was giving us acting lessons.

Traditionally, candidates are prohibited from questioning each other. Direct questions from the unwashed masses are a no-no. You have to write them on a little white card, and only softballs are allowed, questions like "What's your favorite color?"

Kinda' defeats the purpose.

Still, it's their first encounter so I'll be there. As I do every year, I'll be sure to write about four or five questions that end up in the trash can.

Jake Towne's Ties to Anti-Semitic Band Ruin Debate Chances With Dent

When I first heard that LV Congressman Charlie Dent was none too thrilled about including independent Jake Towne in Congressional debates, I was a little disappointed. Of course, Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, aka Johnny Casino, is all for it, hoping it drains votes that might otherwise go to Dent. Still, if Towne gets on the ballot, aren't we entitled to hear from him?

I've changed my mind, thanks to an Express Times report. Towne has invited Poker Face, an Allentown-based rock band labeled xenophobic and anti-Semitic, to his July 30 "Freedom Concert," even though he agrees they tend to "go overboard."

D'you think??

Poker Face's lead singer, Paul Topete, happily tells an interviewer his band's music is used in "white Christian identity militia training videos." And he knows the source of all our troubles, too.

Satanic Jews.

"It is these satanic Jews, and the Rosicrucian Goyim henchmen that need to be erased from our planet. They are the cancer that is destroying humanity," Topete says in one of those "overboard" comments.

You might find this hard to believe, but the ADL doesn't much care for Poker Face, especially after Topete posted this "overboard" comment:

"Very interesting where facts about the White Brotherhood pop up. The elite of the elite satanists are the white brotherhood. Made up of Sabbatean Jews at the top and Rosicrucian goys at the bottom. Anywhere from a 60/40 split to a more realistic 80/20 split with the Sabbateans in the drivers seat."

Congressman Dent, in a news release, calls on John Callahan to "immediately join us in telling organizations interested in sponsoring debates that neither he nor I will agree to participate in any debate involving Jake Towne.”

Dent's also troubled by other Towne statements claiming America’s actions in foreign affairs precipitated the September 11th attacks and blog articles decrying America's imperialistic ambitions. One such post encourages readers to think about that viewpoint before saying they support the troops.

“Jake Towne is not a conservative and he is not in the mainstream of political beliefs either in our local communities or in American politics,” Dent stated. “I’m calling on John Callahan to put aside politics regarding Mr. Towne and do the decent thing – don’t give credence or a public platform to someone enmeshed in ideas of anger, violence, anarchy and bigotry,” concluded Congressman Dent.

Congressman Dent was joined by Lehigh County Republican Committee Chairman Wayne Woodman who said that “any group that offers a forum to Mr. Towne in light of his association with this group is offering legitimacy to Mr. Towne’s deplorable ideas. I applaud Congressman Dent’s decision not to share a stage with Mr. Towne.”

All this kinda' makes me wonder what really happened to Jake Towne when he fell off that bike in China two years ago. He went from having no interest in politics to suddenly leaving his job in Shanghai and returning here to run for Congress. What the hell happened in that Chinese hospital?

I think I'll rent The Manchurian Candidate.

Dent Triple-Teamed by Benol, Towne and the Queen of the Tea Party

If you visit blogs like LV Dependent or Just Read It, you're bound to get the impression that at least some Democrats believe Charlie Dent's days as LV Congressman are numbered. Dent is dismissed as an empty suit who serves whatever special interest is unpopular at the moment, while Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan is regarded as their Savior, even though he's avoided every major issue in this campaign.

Since Dent is such an evil conservative, you'd think they'd all be rallying to his banner. But at Friday night's Lehigh Valley Conservative Voice lovefest for April Fools, he was attacked on three fronts by congressional wannabes Mat Benol and Jake Towne, as well as unelected LV Tea Party Queen Kim Schmidtner. Dent was denied the opportunity to respond to these attacks, and there was no time for questions from the little people.

Mat Benol a little short on specifics.

Mat's actually the most likable person who spoke on Friday night. In a soft-spoken voice, he talked about his two daughters, who are obviously his world. He told a story about how the two of them were flicking a TV remote at each other just the other day, which resulted in a call from the wife and a trip home to take one of them to the hospital. Those of us who are parents have been there, and he connected with the crowd right away. He mentioned what it's like to be called into the office and told he has to accept a 10% pay cut to avoid layoffs. Those of us who work know what that's like, too.

Benol also made an other important point, one that escaped Towne and Schmidtner. He stressed it is possible to like your opponent, and flatly admitted he likes Dent. So why is he running? He claims his goal is to bring the Republican party back to the conservative side.

Benol is a LV Tea Party member, and up until his announcement, he was one of their unelected leaders. On his web page, he indicates that they may not be able to endorse him, but he endorses them.

As likable as he may be, his discussion of issues is rather banal. In talking about our debt crisis, he just says we need to "stop spending." OK, where? His foreign policy plank tells us we need to "stop apologizing for America." That's nice, now how about some specific proposals?

A demonstration of Benol's weakness on the issues is illustrated most clearly by the "limited government resolution" that he and other tea party members unanimously approved in March. I've duplicated it here, and it basically contains these provisions.

1) DECREASE taxes, no tax hikes or new taxes.
2) NO operating deficits, government should spend equal to or less than what it brings in.
3) REDUCE public debt.
4) REDUCE government power and authority, stop increasing it every year.

With less than 50 days until the primary, isn't it time to hear some details about how a Congressman Benol would implement this? In FY 2010, the Federal Government will take in $2.2 trillion in revenue and spend $3.7 trillion, leaving a deficit of $1.5 trillion, just for that year. If Benol were in Congress, he would have to cut spending 42% to comply with that limited government resolution. It's completely unworkable. Even if Benol eliminated every single government program other than defense, social security, Medicare, veteran’s benefits, employee retirement and interest, he would still have failed to balance the budget.

So enough of the “we need to spend less than we take in.” It is time for Benol as a Congressional candidate (and Joe Hilliard as his campaign manager) to start giving some specifics.

Independent / Libertarian Jake Towne Needs to Relax.

I have to wonder what the hell happened to Jake Towne in mainland China, where he spent a few years before rushing back here to run for Congress. That's a post for another day. When he started speaking Friday night, he was very angry and had a wild look in his eyes that made me wonder. In addition to his anger, he has absolutely no sense of humor. His only joke - a comparison of the major parties to arsenic and cyanide - has been repeated since the days of Ralph Nader.

Towne would eliminate the US Department of Education, abolish the income tax, eliminate military bases overseas, cut defense spending, bring troops home from Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany and Italy.

He also hates being searched at airports.

To thunderous applause, he railed against the "mob rule by that gang in Washington." Gee, I thought they were our democratically elected officials.

As he shouted and waved his hands wildly, with his hair going in forty different direction, I was tempted to blurt out a few "Seig Heils." But I was afraid others might join me.

Queen of The LV Tea Party, Kim Schmidtner.

As if the two announced candidates were not enough, the unelected Queen of the LV Tea Party had a few shots of her own. She likened incumbent Republicans like Charlie Dent to cancer.

"While I agree that the 2010 mid-term elections are critical, I vehemently disagree that voters must accept yet another compromise. What this says is that we should accept a small does of poison instead of a large one. In the end it will still kill us, it will just take us a little longer to die.

"Returning to the cancer analogy, that's like a surgeon taking out only 85% of a tumor, but leaving the remaining 15% there to continue to metastasize. How many of you would go to that surgeon?

"The definition off insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. It is time to break out of this insanity and undergo the treatments necessary to rid the nation of the disease of progressivism, or it will kill us. And this year, voters have the first opportunity to do that in the upcoming May primary. The primaries are the constitutional, democratic battleground, where the people can rid the party of progressives and those who compromise with them, and put the best candidates forward to the general election in November.

"It is absolutely critical and is indeed your civic duty to be suspect of the party endorsement process and conduct your own research on all candidates that appear on the ballot, by attending events like this one this evening."

I see. Events that exclude Charlie Dent. The Queen of Mean might want to reconsider her cancer analogy. Congressman Dent's father-in-law died of cancer just a year ago, and it killed his brother-in-law just last month.

It amazes me that Schmidtner, who has a pretty spotty voting record, would lecture others on their civic duty.

Schmidtner also spoke of the completely unworkable limited government resolution.

"We will hold all elected officials, no matter the party affiliation, accountable to these principles, and will measure each and every vote they make or have made against these standards."

Holding them accountable? So much for a nonprofit that engages in no political activity.

Emmaus Everyman Recounts WWII Experience

"I thought I would always be a spectator. I would always be sitting on a bench while others were out on the playing field."

That's what swirled through 18-year Bob Kauffman's mind as he lay in a Normandy ditch, waiting to be evacuated with other wounded soldiers after a failed assault. He was, after all, a replacement. Second team. But this young Emmaus man had just discovered that he was very much part of the action, and he'd be returning for more of the same. He issued no orders. He followed them, and against Germany's most elite military unit.

Kauffman spoke at last night's LV Veterans History Project Roundtable, attended by about 80 people. Once a month, this group invites a vet to share his personal recollections with the Roundtable, although they conduct and tape private interviews, too. They then forward this first-hand oral history to the the Library of Congress' Veterans history project.

This diminutive grandfather, with a soft voice and unassuming demeanor, is the last person I'd expect to see as a combat soldier, but was actually wounded twice during WWII.

After recuperating from his first wound, he rejoined his unit just in time to be greeted by the Battle of the Bulge.

"When you give the Germans two months to get ready for you, you're going to pay a hell of a price."

And that's exactly what happened. On his first night back with his unit, he could hear a German machine gun firing in the distance, at an amazing 1,200 rounds per minute. "That's a sound you don't forget."

Also unforgettable is the unit he faced the very next day, known as the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, an elite unit that had been Hitler's personal bodyguard and whose soldiers had just executed 150 American POWs in the Malmedy massacre. "We got the crap kicked out of us," he bluntly admitted. The Germans eventually ran out of fuel and were surrounded, but Kampfgruppe Peiper (whose picture accompanies this blog) was still able to escape with 800 men.

Guess who was next? That's right, it was the 2d SS Panzer Division, which Kauffman described as "notorious."

Kauffman's company. which originally consisted of 200 men, was down to 14. They had one tank. That's when they got the orders to take a village.

It was in this village that Kauffman was shot again. He had seen two German soldiers, barked out that they should surrender, and their hands went up in the air. What Kauffman did not realize at first was that, while one of these German soldiers may have raised his hands in surrender, he was holding a pistol in one of them. By the time Kauffman noticed that little detail, he was shot. He grabbed the German and the two bear-hugged each other until one of Kauffman's fellow soldiers shot the German.

Now you might think this guy would end up hating the Germans. But like many WWII vets, he befriended many of them. One of them, a German officer, always referred to Kauffman as my "dear half brother," and paid his way to Europe for five visits.

Kauffman visited the Normandy cemetery in 1999, above Omaha beach, and was chilled by the relentless pounding of the waves along the nearby beach, which he called "God's eternal reminder of the enormity of the price we paid." Thinking of his fellow fallen soldiers, he said they were robbed, "but we were robbed, too. We lost their friendship, their children, their grandchildren."

Unlike most WWII vets, who rarely talk about their experience, Kauffman has also written a book called The Replacement.

The only negative feature about last night's Roundtable was the presence of Congressional candidate Jake Towne, who was there with his clipboard and pamphlets, trying to drum up support. If he was there to hear this story, I'd have no problem. But he was there to tell his own.

Give it a rest and come up for air, Jake.

Jake Towne: Don't Crash Private Planes Into IRS Buildings

Congressional candidate Jake Towne may wonder why I'm so reluctant to post his never ending news releases. Here's why.

In wake of news that a disgruntled taxpayer flew a private plane right into an IRS branch last week, Towne jumped right on the story, assuring us in seven thousand word posts, which he litters all over the Internet, that he'd never do anything like that.

Whew! That's a relief.

Now it's tacky enough that he would use this sad story as an excuse to shill for his campaign, but he tops that off by calling LV Congressman Charlie Dent an "unwitting sap."

Petrini: Benol Congressional Campaign to Kick Off Saturday

Looks like Mathew Benol is challenging LV Congressman Charlie Dent in the Republican primary. His campaign will kick off at high noon on Saturday at Easton's Moose Lodge. Other candidates include Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, a Democrat, and Independent Jake Towne, whose resume indicates he is pretty much unemployed.

Benol's web page is still under construction.

King Leonidas, Jim Brown and Jake Towne?

Lehigh Valley Congressman Charlie Dent is being assailed on the left by Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan. On the right, independent Jake Towne is nipping at his heels. "I am for liberty. I hate war. I love life. And I have no fear." In one of his numerous emails, he egotistically compares himself to Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown.

On his campaign web page, he praises "valiant winter patriots" (he talks that way), who passed out 7,000 flyers in Bethlehem and Easton last weekend. Then he starts quoting from The 300, comparing his campaign volunteers to Spartans.

King of Sparta: "You threaten my people with slavery and death."

Persian, aka the "Two-Party" System: "This is blasphemy! This is madness!"

King of Sparta: "Madness? THIS.... IS.... SPARTA!!"

In addition to being just like Hall of Famer Jim Brown, Jake Towne thinks he's King Leonidas.

Jake, this really is madness.

Jake Towne: Let's Treat al-Qaeda Like Barbary Pirates

In his most recent news release, independent Congressional candidate Jake Towne is now suggesting we pull out of Afghanistan and treat al-Qaeda like Barbary pirates. Here's an excerpt.

"To deal with the problem of Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, Towne believes that constitutional letters of marque and reprisal – used previously to deal with the Barbary pirates – are the best solution to deal with small groups. Letters of marque and reprisal are warrants issued by Congress to specified parties giving them permission to commit what would otherwise be illegal acts as they capture 'marked' enemies or seek retribution. America currently has 68,000 troops in Afghanistan to combat less than 100 al-Qaeda members with 'no bases, no means of launching attacks' per National Security Advisor James Jones."

Aaaargh.

Jake Towne: Charlie Dent Won't Answer My Open Letters

Jake Towne is an independent candidate for Congress. He calls this the "Fighting Fifteenth" Pa. Congressional District for some reason. That might be a good name for a military unit, but a Congressional district? Does he picture us mounted on steeds, preparing to invade New Jersey, with him leading the charge across the Delaware? That's a little bizarre.

Towne is upset with LV Congressman Charlie Dent. The incumbent has declined so far to answer eight of Towne's lengthy open letters.

"I handed my latest letter to him, and must confess that I am exasperated. I am a citizen in his district, I have written eight (8) open letters and many more unpublished letters - many from before my candidacy even began. He has not answered a single one, even though I have taken the care to hand him paper copies of each open letter in person."

Open letters, by their very nature, are usually intended to publicize the author's position on an issue, as opposed to that of the recipient. Towne may be a constituent, but he also wants Charlie's job. Does he really expect Dent to draw attention to an underfunded challenger?

"Call me an optimist," Towne tells me.

Towne's most recent open letter suggests ways that Dent can improve transparency with online public feedback, monthly reports detailing positions on bills as well as office finances, online bill submissions for constituents drafting legislation and on-demand town halls. Jake tells Dent, "I am available for consultation either privately or publicly as I have spent a lot of time refining the idea and I have great ideas on the specifics of how this system should look like."

John Callahan's Got Legs and He Knows How to Use Them

Allentown's Cedar Creek Park has certainly been in the news of late, thanks in large part to all that controversy and poor communication over many of the changes planned by the Pawlowski administration. But everyone relaxed a bit on Sunday. It was "Pride in the Park" day, an annual celebration of the Lehigh Valley's gay community. A pilgrimage of politicians visits every year to speak and get teased.

This year, it seems that the LV gay community was rating the legs of different politicians who rose to speak. Walter Felton, who is running for magistrate in Allentown, got a 9. But Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan blew everyone away with an even 10. In fact, when Pride board member Rob Hopkins introduced Callahan, he said, "I know all three mayors, and John Callahan definitely has the best legs."

He's got legs and he knows how to use them.

In addition to showing them off to an appreciative audience, Callahan is using those legs to run away from the most important issue facing this country right now - health care reform.

Jake Towne, an independent congressional candidate, actually sent a detailed health care proposals to post on this blog and submitted an op-ed that was published in The Morning Call. Google reports 173,000 sources of information for incumbent Congressman Charlie Dent's positions on health care. Just last week, Congressman Dent stood outside Lehigh Valley Hospital's emergency room, advocating that physicians who provide life-saving emergency treatment, should be treated like good Samaritans. You might disagree with both Dent and Towne, but at least you know where they stand. But how about Congressional wannabe John Callahan?

He's got legs and he knows how to use them.

Does he support House Health Care bill HR 3200, which Speaker Nancy Pelosi is shoving down our throats? This is what The Morning Call's Scott Kraus reports: "Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, a Democrat who is expected to be Dent's opponent in 2010, would not say whether he supports the current legislation." Then why the hell is he running in the first place?

Congressman Charlie Dent’s campaign manager, Shawn Millan, is calling on Callahan to state clearly and definitively where he stands on this important issue as a service to the voters he wants to represent. “Callahan claimed that he wanted to challenge Charlie on the issues. Maybe he hasn’t read the papers lately, but health care is certainly THE issue on the minds of tens of thousands of people in the 15th District."

Actually, Shawn, Callahan does read the papers and must know that the Pelosi Pill is too bitter to most Americans. He also knows his goofy sales tax increase, targeted at low and middle income people, is making voters angry.

“John Callahan shouldn’t be allowed to get away with a ‘no comment’ on an issue this important to America,” Millan added.

“We’ll make it very easy for Mayor Callahan,” said Millan. “Yes or no, does he favor the Pelosi takeover of health care by the government outlined in HR 3200? And, yes or no, does he favor the so-called ‘public option’ which, in the words of Rep. Barney Frank, will lead to a single-payer system?

"John Callahan doesn’t get to hide behind his handlers at the DCCC on this issue. Let him tell the voters where he stands and let them decide from his position whether or not they think he belongs in Congress,” concludes Millan.

The problem is that, whenever Callahan opens his mouth, he hurts himself. In addition to promoting a regressive sales tax increase, he's claimed that the "quick infusion" of a federal stimulus package would eliminate any state budget crisis. I'll bet he wished he had that one back. So instead of speaking on the issues, he's running from them.

He's got legs, and he knows how to use them.

Update: A gaggle of union-led public insurance proponents rallied outside Congressman Dent's Bethlehem office yesterday, claiming there's no time to wait. Looks like they're protesting at the wrong office.

And Now For Someone Completely Different, Jake Towne

I've told you before about Nazareth resident Jake Towne, an independent Congressional candidate opposing both Democrat John Callahan and Republican Charlie Dent. This libertarian-leaning activist released a detailed health care platform yesterday. Here's his summary:

Summary: Our health care is simply too important to be left to bureaucrats in Washington, plus it is unconstitutional. I strongly disapprove of the Democrats' Obamacare and also the incumbent Republican's "Medical Rights and Reform Act" as both are simply matching strains of the same disease - socialized medicine.

Beyond establishing a framework of laws and acts for a competitive free market, running health care is simply not a duty of the federal government, and is best left to individuals and privatized insurance. While the federal government should do it's [sic] best to deliver the promised benefits from the current form of socialized medicine, Medicare, expanding this system is out of the question. Younger generations should be given the opportunity to opt out as Medicare's total unfunded liabilities were $85 trillion in 2008.

If elected, I will not enroll in Congress's elite health care plan. Citizens should be wary of politicians who plot to control their constituents' health care, but will not and do not enroll in it themselves.

Why You Should Oppose Government-Run Health Care

Government-run health care, also known as socialized medicine, also called ObamaCare, is an unsustainable idea and is an erosion of personal freedom. Health care is much too important to be run by the government. The services and products that are most abundant and affordable in America are those that are produced and exchanged in a free market. Health care is no different.
People who are concerned with their freedom, the cost of health care, the availability of health care in their community, and the truth, should never allow the government to control any part of health care delivery.

Really? Does that mean the government should not regulate drug quality, too? This laissez faire philosophy ended up killing millions of Irishmen during the Famine.

Jake of Nazareth Running for Congress

Until recently, Nazareth resident Jake Towne was an engineer in Shanghai. He now calls himself a "freedom writer" and intends to challenge Charlie Dent in the LV Congressional race. He tells me he is "unaffiliated and definitely not with either of the major parties." What this means is that he will lose.

This Nazareth High School and Lehigh University engineering grad explains why he's running.

"I have been personally outraged by what Congress, our Presidents, and the Federal Reserve has done over the last few decades and I deem their collective actions as oppressive and tyrannical. As there is no hope for my concerns and grievances to be addressed by the current government, I’ve decided to make myself available and talk and discuss ideas with whoever wants to consider me to represent them."

Jake appears to be a Ron Paul acolyte. He opposed Israel's recent military maneuvers in the Gaza strip, the result of constant missile attacks aimed at civilians. He supports an audit of the Federal Reserve. I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest he probably opposes Obama;s stimulus package.

I hope to sit down with Jake soon and find out what is motivating him. In the meantime, he explains his campaign's principles in an email.

1. Government exists to protect liberty, not to redistribute wealth, nor to grant special privileges, nor to interfere with the lives of individuals and their actions. The government of a free country, properly speaking, rests not in its elected officials but in its laws.

2. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. Therefore, transfer of American sovereignty to supranational organizations, even if “benign,” is not permissible without a constitutional amendment.

3. The United States Constitution was written under the principle of "positive grant." This means the federal government is authorized to exercise only the powers which are specifically given to it by the Constitution, and nothing more.

4. Each individual is fundamentally equal under the law with all other individuals. The rule of law's framework of liberty ensures the greatest opportunity for individuals to explore their strengths and surmount obstacles.

5. A limited and decentralized government with inherent checks and balances results in more self-rule by local communities, and hence providing local diversity and overall greater satisfaction for individuals. Individuals can always vote with their feet, and move to areas not affected by laws they strongly disagree with.

6. Individuals have the right to live their own lives in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal rights of others.

7. The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights — life, liberty, and justly acquired property — against aggression.

8. Rights belong to individuals, not groups.

9. Rights are not privileges, they are derived from the natural state of being human.

10. The Constitution merely acts to forbid the infringement of the federal government upon these rights.

11. The government's monetary role is to mint money and maintain the integrity of the monetary unit, not to commit fraud by debasement or to substitute counterfeits of paper for the constitutionally-specified forms of lawful money, coins of gold and silver.

12. However, individuals should be free to trade and exchange as money any mutually agreeable commodity or item as they wish.

Jake also has a Facebook page.